Chapter 33: Rest

–The Next day

Today, we decided to spend the whole day preparing for the journey.

After finishing breakfast, we went out for shopping.

“We need groceries, recovery items, and also clothes, right?”

Mia looked up at me with upturned eyes.

……It makes my heart pound when you look at me like that, so please stop.

Considering our promise from yesterday and the fact that the journey will continue for a while…

“You can buy as much as you want! I’ll buy some too!”

“Fufufu, I’m looking forward to it!”

It’s been a while since I saw Mia this excited.

I myself feel relaxed.

Going out together… it’s kind of like a date.

“Food first, then items. Clothes last. This order is non-negotiable.”

“Okay then let’s go early. It feels like Sunday.”

Mia happily pulled my sleeve.

――We arrived at a market where a lot of foodstuffs were gathered.

As expected of the royal capital. There are many ingredients that I have never seen before .

When we camp, Mia takes care of the cooking.

The taste is really delicious.However… Mia has a strong curiosity.

Things that shouldn’t be eaten based on their appearance.

Things that should not be touched.

Things that are surely not meant to be eaten.

Sometimes those things sneakily mix in.

With common sense, you notice it when you’re making it or the moment you put it in your mouth.

However, in our case, the performance of the equipment we wear is too good to notice.

・Yellow Rune Reinforcement Ring Ailment Resistance +95

But still, no matter how much resistance you have, when you discover the truth, it damages your heart.

I couldn’t take my eyes off Mia’s shopping.

◇

In addition to ingredients, we bought a large amount of prepared food from the food stalls.

It wasn’t enough to buy everything from one place, so we went to several locations.

Before we knew it, it was already lunchtime.

Mia and I entered a nearby restaurant.

There were 4 long tables that sat 10 people.

We sat at an empty table.

The restaurants in the royal capital have abundant menus.

Unlike Rosetta village, it is not just a daily menu.

Perhaps it was spread by people from another world; they even have pasta dishes.

I enjoyed spaghetti Bolognese, while Mia had carbonara.

We learned from each other that it’s best not to worry about what ingredients were used.

For dessert after the meal, we ordered a coffee and cake set.

While enjoying a conversation with Mia, we were suddenly approached from behind.

“Huh? Mia! Everyone, it’s Mia. It’s Mia!”

A party of four women and four men had just entered the shop.

“It’s true. It’s Mia! Ohisa~”

“Mia, how have you been?”

“Kyaa, what are you doing here!”

“We left that town immediately. We were worried about you.”

Who are these people?

Are they acquaintances of Mia?

“Oh, Masami-san. Long time no see.”

Masami… I feel like I’ve heard that name somewhere before.

They must be the party that was with Mia when she came to this world!

If I remember correctly, it consisted of two heroes, a sage, and a holy knight.

But they were the ones who kicked Mia out, right?

Why are they acting so familiar?

When I looked at Mia’s face, she was smiling.

She doesn’t seem angry at all.

But for some reason, I got goosebumps on my arm.

Ah… I realized something bad.

There are exactly eight vacant seats at our table

“Everyone, there are exactly enough seats here, so let’s sit here.”

Masami called out to her party.

Don’t mess with me.

I emitted all the negative aura I had.

I absolutely refuse! Mia, you must refuse too!

Right now, I feel like my “Heart wall” barrier could activate even in a minor self-defense situation. Well, I wouldn’t mind if it actually activated.

“Takuma-san, is it alright if we join everyone?”

Damn it… What happened to our usual coordination?

“Well, we have something to do, so we should be going soon.”

“Here you go. It’s the dessert after the meal.”

A lovely smiling waitress brought us coffee and cake.

Yeah. I knew it would turn out like this.

“Ah, I forgot I ordered this. Well then, let me join you until I finish eating.”

— 3 minutes later

OK, finished eating. Let’s make our escape.

“Is Mia in a party with him now?”

“Maybe they have that kind of relationship. Kyaa!”

“Hey, hey Mia. We’ve become really strong. We’re already at E-rank!”

“Our male members are quite strong. They helped us level up.”

“That’s right. Our levels are already at 11!”

I’m really bad at this.

All I can imagine is stumbling over my words.

Eight unfamiliar men and women… Isn’t this torture?

Confident attitudes from the girls while listening to the guys’ conversation…

Don’t give me that smug look.

“Takuma is strong too. I’ve also become stronger.”

Mia looked at me with a proud smile.

The evaluating gazes of the women around me pierced through me.

“Well, I can’t see it at all. Is he really strong?”

“We are B rank”, Mia muttered.

“Nainanai (No way no way no way). That can’t be true. You’re B-rank? And him too?”

“If you’re going to lie, come up with a better lie.”

My eyes filled with anger as I looked at Mia.

Mia stared back at me with full confidence.

…Don’t look so proud.

I’m not that great of a person.

Well, there’s no choice but to respond now.

“Calling me a liar? How about this? This is my adventurer card.”

I showed her the front side of my adventurer card.

Since personal information is on the back, it’s not a problem to just show the front side.

The materials used to decorate the front of the adventurer card vary depending on the rank.

F-rank is copper, E-rank is bronze, D-rank is iron, C-rank is silver, B-rank is gold, A-rank is magic silver mithril, and S-rank is tough steel adamantite.

My adventurer card is decorated in gold, so it’s clear that it’s B-rank.

“!!!!!!!!”

The group of eight remained frozen with their mouths open.

“Ah, Mia is also B-rank, just like me.”

It’s an important point, so I’ll say it twice.

Now then, it’s time to make a move.

“Mia, let’s go. We won’t finish today if we don’t leave now.”

“Yes! Well then, we’ll take our leave.”

Mia said to the group of eight and walked over to me.

We left the restaurant and walked toward the tool shop.

“I’m sorry about earlier. You must have felt uncomfortable…”

Mia looked down, seemingly regretting her involving me.

“Oh it’s not like that. In fact, it felt good. I showed them, didn’t I?”

“Hehehe, you looked very cool.”

After saying that and smiling shyly, Mia started walking.

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